Here is What I Think.
Warning: Political Rant
The biggest election in quite sometime is bearing down on the nation. We have exactly one week until every person who has a brain goes out to their local polling location and lets their voice be heard. The bottom line is that you must vote. It may not be for the candidate I agree with, but as long as your views (the majority of them, not just one large view) match up with the candidate you vote for or you would vote for if you could. Here is my view on the election, take it how you wish but please keep an open mid when reading it.
In my mind there is one big flaw in the way people choose which candidate they vote for. The look at only a few major issues and not the entire platform the candidate is running on. Yes, you may know Bush is pro-war, anit-abortion, but do the rest of his views match up with yours? There may be a major discrepincy in your views that you have not bothered to check out. Before you decided, learn about all the issues. You should be voting for the candidate with the most views that match yours, and not base it entirely on the one who wants to/or not to blow Iraq off the face of the earth. This is the future of our country for the next four years atleast, maybe longer. Choose wisely.
Now, its time to get down to the nitty gritty. Who am I for and why? Your about to find out. No, my views are not based solely on what I learn from my parents like most young people today. And no, I do not get my information from only one source. I try to stay away from FOX news as much as possible, but I can't help it when my dad decides to watch it. I will write on the issues I am familar with. Be prepared, my rant begins now.
Overall, I believe Kerry deserves to be the 43rd President of the United States. He has proven over this long campaign trail that he is the best candidate for the job, and I have info to back that up. He has stood firmly for what he believes in and truly works for the betterment of the entire nation. On the other hand, Bush has repeatedly let down our nation over the past four years, sometimes with blatant lies. There were no WMD's in Iraq and there never will be. Our nation is no safer than we were before his attempts to protect us, it has only put us in a deeper state of fear. We have changed how we live our daily lives as Americans so we will be 'safe.' Ultimately, the terrorists have deafeated us. This is exactly what they set out to do and they accomplished it. The 'War in Iraq' has been a debacle. First off, the war is in no way justifiable. This is obvious because we had little to no support when we began to rain bombs down on the innocent people of Iraq. Secondly, Mr. Bush has put the lives of thousands of US Service Men and Women in the line of danger for the support of an unjust cause. By ordering this war, Bush has "disregared the Internatioanl Treaties and Institutions that the United States has worked for over a half century to build" and "asserted that American interests trump those of any other country." Yes, support the troops but do no support this unjust 'war on terror'.
Now, its time for some issues that affect the every day lives of ordinary people like you and me, or issues that will affect our futures. Both candidates oppose gay mariage, but Mr. Bush has taken the issue to far. He wants to make an ammendment that bans their right to marriage. That is absolute and total bullshit. Every person in this nation, as stated by the Constitution, has a right to "life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness" This ring a bell for anyone? Where does he get the nerve to take away someone right to find happiness in their life? This ammendment would never directlly affect my own life, but it would many others lives. If or if not a gay person get married affects my life in NO WAY. So why do we have to make an ammendment to block something that makes someones life better, if it affects our lives in no way? Because Mr. Bush is a bigot. Thats all there is to it. If we can not even get along with citizens of our own country and respect each other, how do we ever hope to gain world peace. Bush tries to tell us his "war on terror' is for the sake of peace, but he isn't even trying to promote peace in our own homes. There in lies his obvious double standards.
Obviously, life is not to important to Mr. Bush. He has already sent off thousands to die in Iraq, hundreds to death in Texas because he "enthusiastically supports the death penalty", and is an avid supporter the NRA and their gun toting idiots. A main priority of any person running for President should be stricter gun laws. Guns, along with drugs, are the biggest problems in society today that could be controlled. European nations control their guns and look how low there murder rate is each year. There is no way that you can argue guns don't cause most of the murder deaths in our country. They are a problem, and we should get rid of them as best we can.
As for the issue that most directly affects us at our current age: education. Most of you who are reading this attend or have attended private schools. Mr. Bush wants to create a program that gives public money to parents of public school children so they can attend private schools. Our parents have worked hard to allow us to go to a private school, and now Mr. Bush wants to dilute our schools with public school students? Not for the money my parents pay, no thanks. Kerry opposes this legislation. Next, Kerry actually has a plan for making college tuition cheaper. Bush has nothing of the sort. Kerry wants to create a program that gives students tax credits on tuition paid for college. I'm sure I don't want to have lots of college debt, so this looks promising to me. It also makes college affordable for those who may not be able attend otherwise.
As for the issues on the enviroment, it seems Bush is on a campaign to destroy the earth. He has done nothing to help resource depletion, eroded existing clean water, clean air, and conservation standards. He only cares about the needs of his big corportation allies in the logging and oil industries. Kerry has the highest congressional ratings from the League of Conservation Voters.
On the whole, America is in need of some desperate change. The rest of the world is cathcing up with us and our "we don't need them" attitude doesn't help our relationship. Unemployment is up, the deficit is enormous, and we are fogetting about the needs of our nation. Its time for someone new to guide our country in the right direction. Vote for what you believe in, vote Kerry!
